Broken Swords
by Cap'n Jade Sparrow
Summary: When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious Black Pearl fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places. Captain Jack Sparrow X OC
1. Prologue

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Prologue**

The soft moonlight shined down from between clouds in the night, the blueish-white beams picking out shapes that seemed to appear out of nowhere. One of these shapes was the unmistakeable silloutte of a ship limping along through the calm sea. It's sails were a brilliant white, while the wood that built the ship was a deep black. Eluminated by the moonlight were the moving shapes of crew members, rushing about to disguise both themselves and their ship.

At the helm, standing tall with his chin raised and one hand grasping a spire of the wheel, was the captain. Instead of wearing the clothes that recognised him, he was dressed in white stocking and breeches, shining black buckle shoes, a smart white shirt and a blue frock coat with gold lace. The trinkets had been removed from his hair, and he refused to wear that damned white powerdered wig, but he would where the black tricorn embroided with gold. His beard and mustache had been trimmed to neatness. All in all, he gave the impression of an honourable man.

Another man, more rounded with greying hair, rushed up the steps and stopped, panting before his captain.

"We're nearly there, cap'n." He heaved, trying to catch his breath. The captain quickly pulled out a small brass spyglass and looked forwards, finding the curve of the bay in the darkness, and past that, the faint amber glows picking out the small settlement.

Snapping the spyglass away and snuffing it back in his pocket, he nodded and stood watching his crew for a few moments, adjusting the wheel so they entered the bay smoothly. When they neared the docks, he ordered for the sails to be rolled and the anchor dropped.

When all this was done, someone rang the bell. One in the morning. There was no point in going ashore now, not until morning. There would be no one awake to start repairs on his ship, and there would be no brothels open for his needs; this was not a pirate port. This was a Naval port. He had even had to change the name of his ship at the back until he could leave.

So the captain quickly strode down the steps, sending his crew to their quarters, and entered his cabin, the door closing behind him.


	2. Chapter 1

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter One**

Milky pink and yellow light filtered through the window as a maid prepared a cup of lemon tea for the Admiral, boiling the water over the fire to make it nice and hot. She stirred the lemon leaves and tea leaves together in the warming water, releasing their flavour. The Admiral liked strong lemon tea first thing in the morning on his balcony facing the docks so he could watch the small port awaken.

When the tea was boiling hot she grasped it firmly in both hands and tottered out of the kitchen, walking carefully up the steps, through the main room and to the balcony in silence. The Admiral, and old fellow with features worn with age and sea salt, was already dressed in his uniform, but wasn't due at the docks until much later. Quickly, the maid placed the hot mug on the table and ducked her head, beginning to move away when he stopped her.

"Nell," He always called his maids by their first names; he may have been an Admiral, but he treated them as if they were equal to his position. "That ship, the black one with the white sails, it wasn't there yesterday evening."

She followed his gaze, and her eyes found the ship. It was a truly magnificent vessel, far more than the other, Naval vessles that were normally in the harbour.

"It wasn't, sir." She assured him, her voice sweet.

"I want you to go and find out why it is there, Nell. I do not wish for the humiliation of turning up this afternoon not knowing why it is there."

She nodded. It was completely understandable.

"I'll come and tell you as soon as I return."

"Go now then, girl. I will finish my tea and get Katie to clear it away when she brings my breakfast." He shooed her away and Nell rushed out of the room, along the corridors and down the stairs, pausing by a mirror to make sure her white cap was set properly on her head.

Nell had a very slightly golden complextion, free of spots. Her hair, which was plaited loosley then curled into a bun with the cap on top, was a rich mousey-brown. Already, a few stray locks had fallen out and were framing her face, her bright blue eyes standing out. She tucked one lock behind her ear and was on her way, rushing through the kitchen and out of the door there.

Very soon, she was walking along the cobble streets, the light breeze cooling her; it was warm already. No doubt it would only get warmer, and she would be glad to be in the shade of the house.

She walked along the wood docks towards the ship the Admiral had spotted, her blue eyes setting on the form of the dock manager and a man she had never seen before. His eyes drew her in first; a dark, molten brown, almost black. They seemed to suck her in. When she pulled herself away from them, she drew her gaze over his whole body. Dark golden skin, dark hair bleached by the caribbean sun, donning a captain's uniform but with the white powerdered wig missing. He had a slender, well built body, and was obviously used to life at sea.

She was shocked when he grinned roguishly over the dock manager's shoulder at her, flashing golden teeth. Then he turned to the dock manager, explaining his situation. Nell caught the words "damaged", "repairs" and "Mr. Smith". From what she could gather, this "Mr. Smith's" ship needed repairing. The dock manager wrote down his name, took a tying fee, and walked away. Immediately, the man walked over to her.

"'Ello there, love." He greeted her, sweeping down into a bow and grasping her right hand in bejewled fingers, pressing his lips to it. Nell's cheeks flushed and she forced herself to greet him back.

"Good morning, sir. What brings you to Port Davies?" She asked, trying to be polite.

"Me ship was damaged, young miss. I've come for repairs and will soon be on me way." He told her, and added as an afterthought: "Ye don't happen to know where I could find such help, do ye?"

She nodded. There was a carpenters near by, not even a five minute walk away.

"I'll show you the way, Mr..."

"Mr. Smith. Or Smithies, if ye like."

"Well then, Mr. Smith, let's get on our way. I need to be returning to the Admiral soon, you see."

The man paused, his body going rigid before he began to speak again.

"The Admiral, ye say? Well, I didn't know he was stationed here."

"Oh yes, sir. Admiral Georges has been here for the last five years or so," She replied. "I think he likes it here too much; only yesterday he was speaking of retiring and staying here for the rest of his life."

Mr. Smith just nodded along with her words as they walked until they arrived outside the door. She simply stood.

"There you are, sir. Mr. Roberts should be able to help you very quickly and get your ship in very good condition."

"Thank ye, miss. Ye've certainly helped me." He answered, and moved to knock on the door, but paused. "Ye haven't told me ye name, miss. Ye know mine; tis only fair.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. I'm Nell Daunt. But you can call me Nell, I suppose. The Admiral will most likely send me down daily to make sure everything is going fine. He likes to keep an eye on all Naval ships that enter the port, see."

"Ye can tell him that me ship's name is the _Siren_." He told her and knocked, almost immediately disappearing into the building straight away after a quick salute to her and a bow.


	3. Chapter 2

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Two**

Nell watched him disappear, straightening out her skirts before turning around. She best be on her way. She had found out what the Admiral wanted to know, and there was nothing else for her to do in town. Katie, her sister, should have taken the Admiral his breakfast by now, and cleared away his tea. By the time she arrived back at the house, he should have finished that too, and would be going through any paperwork he had to do.

She started along the cobble street, following the route she knew well. Next to the carpenters' was the blacksmiths'; Nell often had to travel down there so the blacksmith could speak to the Admiral about possible new swords as supplies upon the ships. In addition to this, if you followed the street, you reached the marketplace, where she went every Thursday to buy food. The road was rough and bumpy, which caused you to feel sick if you traveled down in a horse and carriage, as the Admiral was often telling her to do, although he knew she prefered walking. It was a great humour between them.

So she followed the path, taking in her surroundings of small houses where people lived as the town began to awaken, the calls of gulls overhead and the gentle roar of the ocean as it hit the shore. Nell didn't regret her decision to travel to the Caribbean, apart from the heat. It was a wonderful place to live. She could understand why the Admiral would want to stay here.

She eventually made it to the servants' door of the house as the sun was halfway to noon. Gratefully, she stepped inside and grabbed a rag, dipping it in the cold water that was kept in a bucket and dabbed it on her forehead before replacing it and heading up to the balcony. As she had guessed, the Admiral was still there, gazing out across the town. Nell announced her presence with a knock and stepped forwards, standing modestly.

"I went down to the dockyard, like you said, sir," She began, and he nodded for her to continue. "The ship, it's called the _Siren_. The captain is Mr. Smith. The ship is in need of repairs, so they've stopped here."

Admiral Georges nodded.

"Very well. I trust that you will go down to the dockyard every day until they sail, to make sure the repairs are going well. Every ship in the Navy must be to perfection in order to protect His Majesty." He paused. "On some evenings I may ask you to go down once more; I would like to dine with Mr. Smith one day before he leaves."

"I'll go down this evening if you wish, sir. That will give you plenty of time to organise a dinner." She backed out of the room, closing the door behind her, and walked down to the kitchen, spotting her sister.

"Katie!" She exclaimed, rushing over. Her duties had been busy lately, and she hadn't seen her sister. They were twins, but Nell was the older. They quickly hugged and Nell watched what her sister was doing.

"If you're doing the washing up, I'll start preparing dinner. It's Tuesday; the Admiral will be wanting the duck. I best start plucking it." She quickly unhooked the body of a mallard from the strings hanging from the ceiling and set it down on the table, plucking out each and every feather. The feathers could be used to stuff cushions and pillows, so she set them in a pile in the middle of the table. Not every maid was lucky enough to have duck feather pillows, but Nell supposed that had to be a perk of working for the Admiral, after all.


	4. Chapter 3

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Three**

A week had passed. It had been a very busy week. Along with her normal duties of making sure the house was clean, cooking meals and going down to the market with young Charles, she had gone down to the dockyard at least once a day, twice on the first day and the Friday, but three times on Saturday. Sunday had been a day of rest, apart from cooking. On Monday she had gone down in the morning, and Mr. Smith had taken her for a walk along the shore.

Now it was tuesday again, and she, along with three other maids, were preparing a feast to die for. A pig with an apple, a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a goose stuffed inside a peacock stuffed inside a swan and a mixture of vegatables and potatoes was the main. Because it would take so long to cook, they started on that, then the starter; three different soups: tomato, leek and potato and celery. There would be a choice of wines throughout and after the two gentlemen would have some port or whiskey in another room while the maids cleaned up. A two butlers would be on hand to serve the food and a footman would take Mr. Smith's coat when he arrived. A horse and carriage was to pick him up from the docks and take him back once more. During the meal, Nell was to help serve.

All too soon, it was time for the meal. Mr. Smith arrived in good time and was taken into the dining room. The food was served.

Nell held a large bowl of tomato soup and offered it to Mr. Smith. He nodded and she began to pour some out with a ladel until the bowl was full. She then backed away, taking the bowl back to the kitchens before returning and standing in the shadows. At the time she returned, the Admiral and Mr. Smith were talking about sailing and how exactly the Siren became in need of repairs. Mr. Smith was telling an elabroate story of how a pirate ship attacked and they won, but at the price of loosing crew and a damaged ship. Nell rolled her eyes but cleared away bowls and cuttelry quickly before serving the main course. She saw dark eyes widen with hunger at the sight of it all and prayed that her own stomach wouldn't rumble. Thankfully, it didn't.

"Ye, maid, come sit with us. No doubt ye made this exquisit meal. Ye have every right to eat some." Mr. Smith's voice said suddenly, and she shook her head.

"I can', sir. A good maid does interfer with the meals."

She heard him sigh and the Admiral spoke up.

"Come now, Nell, sit down. Mr. Smith is right, of course. You have every right."

Nell did as she was bid, sitting down in the seat she was pointed to; right between both men. This made her feel a bit nervous but she ate some of the food anyway. They were right; it was wonderful. She couldn't have cooked this! But she had, with some help. And the others would get some of it, certainly; two men wouldn't eat all this, and Admiral Georges hated for food to go to waste.

When they finished, Nell excused herself and started to clean up as the two men went to drink their port. When all was done, she returned to the kitchen to wash her hands and clean the counters before she went to bed. That was when the door opened.

She turned around and saw Mr. Smith. They had certainly grown close, but that didn't mean he should be down here. It was the servants area.

"Hello, sir." She greeted him kindly, her hands behind her back.

"I'm glad that ye're here, Nell. I have somethin' for ye." He had moved closed with his words and pressed a small box into her hands before turning away and leaving.

Nell was shocked as she stared at the box. What was it? He hadn't even needed to give her something; they had known each other for a mere week. But now she had it, it would be rude not to open it.

Slowly, she untied the red ribbon the lifted the lid. Her eyes widened and she let out a small gasp, once hand moving to cover her mouth. In the box was a beautiful, glistening gold necklace. It was a small gold "N" one a thin chain.

It was truly beautiful.


	5. Chapter 4

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Four**

The next day, Nell watched the _Siren_ set off until it was nothing but a small speck on the horizon. She didn't even know why she was watching the ship disappear; she'd never see Mr. Smith again, unless he pulled in here once more. But why should he? There were many ports in the Caribbean. Besides, he would have to get back to wherever he was stationed. If he had told her, maybe she could have sent letters to him; it would have been nice to stay in touch with him - he had become a great friend.

Thinking about duties that he may have left her thinking of duties she herself had to do. Clean the house, cook. Go to market every Thursday. Slowly, she raised her hand and touched her new necklace before heading back to the house. The sooner she was done, the sooner she could rest.

She groaned and stood straight, one had pressing against her lower back. Why did cleaning have to hurt so much? Why had the other maids made her do this? Surely someone smaller would be able to clean it better, like Katie. Nell knew she had been neglecting her duties lately; she was too busy thinking about Mr. Smith. She missed him, if she was truthful to herself. She missed seeing his beautiful ship on the horizon, she missed seeing him down on the docks. She missed talking to him, the way he spoke. She missed his strange manner.

She missed him.

And she shouldn't miss him. Nothing could happen; he was a military man, a sailor. She was naught but a humble maid for the Admiral. They could not, by law, get married. Why was she thinking this way? She didn't love him. He was a friend, nothing more.

A friend she would never see again.

A friend she would never hear again.

A friend she should not be thinking off.

Bending over again, she continued to clean, trying to clean the spot behind the drawers that were too heavy to move. A clatter made her jump and she looked around to see a fellow maid, Mary, weeping.

She rushed over, holding her friend against her.

"Hush, Mary. Whatever is the matter?" Mary was a sensative girl, the youngest maid in the household. She was experiance; she had grown up here, but she was still only fourteen.

"It's the Admiral." She sniffed, hugging the older woman back. Nell felt her take a steadying breath but waited her to to say things on her own.

"He... He's ill, Nell. Terribley ill. He might die."


	6. Chapter 5

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Five**

Nell sighed and stood back, her hands on Mary's shoulders. They had to get a doctor here right away and try to make sure the Admiral was comfortable.

"Mary, I need you to run down to the doctor. Get him up here as soon as you can. Tell him everything." Nell ordered, and watched the girl run away, trying to do as she was ordered. Meanwhile, Nell ran up to the Admiral's room, throwing open the door to see Katie by his bedside. Nell quickly rushed over.

"Get a bucket of cold water, and some extra blankets. Quickly, now." She said quickly, and took the seat when her sister ran off to get the objects.

Admiral Georges looked terrible. His skin was pale and had a yellow tinge. His wig had been removed and his greying hair was plasted to his forehead by a thin sheen of sweat. He was shaking and convulsing, sometimes rolling over. His breathing was rasping and laboured. He looked like he was dying very slowly and painfully, judging from the low moans he was issuing. What would happen if he died? Where would they all go?

Don't think of that. She warned herself, and looked up when Katie brought in a bucket of freezing water from the well outside and three thick blankets. Grabbing the rag in the bucket, Nell rung it out as much as she could and lay it flat on her master's forehead, hoping to God he wouldn't knock it off. She then lay one blanket over his bed covers and pulled out the warm pan from the fire and placed that in his bed. They had to keep him warm.

A knock alerted her to the doctor and she let out a sigh of relief when he entered. The man checked the Admiral over, measuring vital signs before turning to Nell.

"You did the right thing, Miss. You called me and you've made sure he is warm. Ufortunately, Admiral Georges is very, very ill. He will, most likely, make it through the night, but I can't say anything about the next week or so. He will get gradually iller and may be close to death. You must make sure he is as comfortable as possible when they happens, Miss." He turned away and walked out of the room, leaving her to watch the Admiral alone.

When the Admiral awoke a little, she tried to feed his some broth carefully, to help him gain his strength. He managed to eat a few mouthfuls before he succumed to unconiousness. Every time he awoke, this would repeat and repeat. Every day and every night, for a week and a half. Nell barely ate. And when she did, it was the broth she ate with an extra spoon before it went cold; the Admiral couldn't eat it.

Eventually, he began to stay awake for longer periods of time, but he was still weak. He started eating bread throughroughly soaked in broth or soup, but that was about it. She made sure he drunk plenty of water and cleared away any sick.

Admiral Georges was getting stronger.


	7. Chapter 6

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl _fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Six**

Nell was sat in the kitchen, nursing a cup of tea. She had left the Admiral in the care of Mary and was looking forwards to getting some rest. It had been around two weeks since the Admiral was taken ill, and around three since Mr. Smith had left. Admiral Georges what starting to feed himself and use the chamberpot on his own. This freed Nell up to start on her duties once more. Today, Monday, she was supposed to clean as much of the house as she could, but all she wanted to do was sleep. She had not slept much at all. She was well and truly exhausted.

When she finally finished her tea, she stood and stretched a little before grabbing whatever she would need to do her work. She'd start in the drawing room - it wouldn't take too long to dust it. Then to the dining room, and then the Admiral's office.

So she made her way to each room, cleaning them to the best of her ability for when the Admiral was completely better and back to his normal self. Each room was made spotless and shining until it would be cleaned again tomorrow.

She was just finishing in the office when a scream pierced through the silence of the house, high pitched and obvously scared and shocked. Dropping everything, Nell ran out of the room as fast as her maid's uniform would let her and nearly let out a scream of her own at the sight before her. The Admiral lay on the floor, blood welling from a wound to his head and unconcious. Mary was crying once more and Katie was attempting to calm her. It took a few moments for Nell to regain her senses and she grasped the banister for support. When she spoke, her voice was weak.

"Someone, get the doctor. Someone else move him. He can't stay there." She felt horrible. She could have stopped this..


	8. Chapter 7

**Someone reviewed telling me that they wanted longer chapters. I'll just say that, up to chapter fifteen, all chapters are prewritten. There are some longer chapters coming up, but these chapters look longing in Wordpad. xD**

**Also, it isn't the length of chapters that matters, but how the story flows.**

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Seven**

With the help of one of the butlers that was stationed permenantly at the house, Nell managed to stop the blood flow and carry the unconcious form of Admiral Georges up the steps and into his room. She fluffed up the pillow and pulled back the covers with one hand before helping to place the old man in his bed. She then rushed downstairs and outside to the well. The wound needed cleaning to stand any chance of healing without infection. If it got infected... Nell shivered uncomfortabley, not wanting to think about that. They had to be positive.

As she finally pulled the heavy bucket back up, cold water sloshing about and nearly soaking her front, she held it with two hands and began to walk back into the house as fast as she dared. It was agonisingly slow; the bucket was heavy and she didn't want to waste a single drop. She would need all of it. She would need bandanges too, but her arms were too full at the moment to get some; that would have to wait until she could get them. Cleaning the wound was the first priority.

Stepping heavily with the weight of the bucket, Nell walked up the stairs after she passed through the kitchen, breathing heavily. The water moved in the bucket and some splashed over the side onto the steps. Nell grimaced but continued on her way, stepping around the wet patch so she would not fall; that would be disasterous.

When she reached the landing, she turned right and followed the corridor, looking down into the great hall for a brief second before shaking herself mentally. The Admiral needed her. Eventually, she reached the door to Admiral Georges' room and sighed. It was a sigh partly of happiness, for the door was open, but also of preparation: this would be quite a task.

Stepping inside, and shuffled over to the bed and opened the curtains a little way to let in sunlight; she would have to see what she was doing for this to go well.

Pulling a wooden chair over, she ripped the bottom of her skirt and dipped the fabric into the cold water, shivering at the temperature. Lifting the water-heavy rag out, she rung it out carefully and leaned over, dabbing the scarlet blood away from the head wound, finding the edges and how deep it was. The rag was quickly soaked in red so she threw it into the bucket and ripped another rag off, repeating the process. This had to be done well and be done well it would be.

As she was focusing, she didn't notice the screams from outside until there was a scream near the front door. Nell dropped the rag in shock and jumped to her feet. Leaning over the form of the Admiral, she looked out of the window, and nearly screamed herself.

Pirates.

So many pirates, running up the cobbled street. They were heading towards the house. Nell caught a glimpse of the doctor as he was easily cut down like the many civilians before him. She saw the blood splatter and knew he was dead. There were so many bodies littering the streets, and she could do nothing to help them - she would die too.

She could, however, protect the Admiral. He was in no state to fight. But she couldn't tear herself away from the window. She only did so when she saw Navy men appear out of the shadows and start fighting back.

Whipping around, her eyes darted about the room. Where did the Admiral keep his sword? The wardrobe? She ran over, throwing the doors open. No glinting metal weapon there. Under the bed? Nope. In his drawers? Nope. Under them? Yes!

Pulling out the sword, she unsheathed it and threw the scabbard to the side, advancing towards the door. Carefully, she looked out. No one was there. Yet. That meant she could get to the front of the house to fight back. So that is what she did.

Upon reaching the great hall, the front door was opened with such a force that it came off it's hinges. Standing in the doorway was a throng of pirates, their swords already dripping. Not knowing what to do, she raised the sword she was holding and they laughed at her, running in like a stampede of hooved animals. One engaged her in a fight while others grabbed expensive objects and others still raced around the rooms, trying to find something.

That had to be the Admiral. They wanted to kill him. It wasn't hard to work out.

The point of a sword came swinging down towards her face and Nell only just managed to block the attack. It was a strong attack and the force rattled her. The opponent took this to his advantage and punched her, sending her sprawling on the marble floor. The sword fell out of her hands and clattered across the floor. The pirate's face loomed over her and she screwed her eyes shut. This was surely it. She was going to die, and no one would care. They would only care for the Admiral, whether he survived or not.

A gunshot rang through the air. Slowly, Nell opened one blue eye and saw the pirate fall sideways to the floor. She quickly sat up and spotted the gun that did the damage. The barrel was blow by a mouth as she watched. Those dark eyes drew her in and she knew who it was, despite the clothes, which were like those of the rest of the pirates.

"Mr. Smith!"


	9. Chapter 8

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Eight**

Nell almost cried in happiness. Mr. Smith had come back and was saving her! She saw him step forwards and offer his hand to her. She took it readily and he pulled her to her feet before pushing her behind him as another pirate tried to attack him. She watched the small battle with interest; Mr. Smith was good at this. A sound made her look to the door to see more pirates entering. They joined the battle ruthlessly, and all the invaders began to dispearce, some jumping down from the banisters and fleeing.

Within no time, there was just Mr. Smith and his crew left - at least, she guessed they were. They hadn't run. With a nod from Mr. Smith, they too left, and he led her down to the kitchen, helping her sit down and sitting down in front of her.

He leaned forwards, seemed to be having trouble with what to say, before taking a deep breath and speaking.

"Ye'll be wondering why I'm here," He began, his voice careful. "I heard that Port Davies was going to be attacked. So I came here to stop it."

"So why are you dress like - like that?" She questions, waving at his clothing.

"Ah." He raised an index finger. "Thing is, dearie, I'm not really a Navy officer."

"You...You're a pirate?"

"That I am love, and proud of it."

"You should be hanged!" She exclaimed, moving away.

"Is that any way to thank the man who saved yer life?" He asked, making a sad face. Nell moved forwards, unsure.

"I guess not. But I guess you're not really Mr. Smith?" He couldn't be, not if he wasn't really a Navy officer. It'd be too dangerous.

"Nay," He stood up. "Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl, at ye service." He swept his hat of his head and stooped into a low bow. Nell rolled her eyes and giggled at him. She opened her mouth to speak when there was a gasp from the doorway and Katie rushed in, her dark hair flying behind her as she hit and punched Jack.

"How - Dare - You - Do - That!" She yelled, each word accompanied by a blow. Jack just stood there, taking in each one before holding her at arms length, his dark eyes staring at Katie with his head at an angle to the left and his eyebrows raised.

"Sorry, love, but I have no idea what ye're talking about." His voice was sencere and curious.

"Admiral Georges is dead!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Nine**

Nell's hand flew up to her mouth and she gasped. The Admiral was dead? It was bad enough that he had been weak from his illness and his fall, but for the pirates to take advantage of that and kill him... They were sure to go to Hell and have a place with the Devil for that.

She shook her head. It couldn't be true. He was too good a man to loose in a matter of minutes. He may have been old, but he had been fair and full of wisdom. He hadn't deserved such a death. She could only hope that it had been quick and as painless as possible, and that he had been unconcious when it had happened. He would need a proper burial service in his honour, but as Jack had said, most of the settlement was dead. She doubted anyone from the Church had survived, but she would have to go to the Church and check.

However, they needed to decide where they were going to live. They couldn't stay here anymore, that was for sure. If most of the town was dead, they would have no way of providing a living for themselves. Where could they go?

"We'll have to go. We can't stay here, Katie." She whispered, not wanting to talk too loud. It didn't seem right to speak loudly.

Jack butted in.

"I've lost a few of me crew in that fight, ladies. I could take ye aboard me ship and drop ye off somewhere." He offered, and Nell nodded.

"I'd like that. I'll come." She had nowhere else to go. She turned her head to gaze at her twin. "What about you, Katie?"

"I- I've been courting Bill. You know Bill, don't you? The manservant? We'll find some extra people, surviving Naval officers, and sail to the next port." The dark-haired maid look at Jack. "It wouldn't be safe for you to enter a Naval port. And I'd be hung for being with you."

Jack simply nodded before standing. He looked between them, something shining in his dark eyes.

"Well, Nell, ye best go and pack. I'll have to set sail in the morning, just to be safe."

Nell rose to her feet, wrapping her arms around the pirate. He seemed shocked by her actions and it took him some time before he wrapped his arms around her in return, his chin resting on her head.

Nell looked up at him.

"What about the Admiral? He needs to be burried."

"I'll burry him, Nell. You go and pack; you need to be on your way." Katie answered, and pushed her sister and the pirate out of the door to the hall.


	11. Chapter 10

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Ten**

Nell looked away from Jack and busstled up the stairs, turning left and then right along a small corridor to her room. She silently entered it and closed the door softly behind her, taking the leather bag off the hook on the back and looking around. She couldn't take too much with her, so she'd not take any clothes; all she had was her maid's uniform. She would, however, take some nightdresses and she'd take the sea shell she was given by her parents, and all her money. That was about all she had worth taking... Maybe she should take her pillow, and give it to Jack? He had, after all, saved her life. Yes, she would take it, and she would force him to use it.

Grabbing the pillow, she tucked it under her arm and opened the door, glancing back at her room for the last time. She had lived here, served under the Admiral, for around seven years, since she was eighteen. Now she was leaving, forever, to stay aboard a pirate ship. She was becoming a pirate.

Why did she feel alright with this? Was it the lure of adventure, the excitment, calling her? She did love the sea, she supposed. She had been facinated with it as a child, and she had enjoyed the voyage to the Caribbean.

Closing the door, she tried to banish her thoughts. She had a new life to be getting on with, one with the pirate captain, Jack Sparrow. She would be in danger, not only from the Navy, but other pirates. Pirates from different ships... Pirates on the _Black Pearl_. She was a woman... She couldn't stay in this dress. It would attract too much attention. What would she wear?

Upon reaching Jack, she voiced her fears. He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"'Course not, love. I'll get ye safely aboard me ship, me cabin, and get ye some breeches, a top and a bind." He eyed her chest then shook himself while Nell's cheeks flushed. "Can't have ye showing off ye womanly assessts, can we?"

Nell slapped his arm and shook her head, but followed him as she lead the way out of the house. It was then that it hit her. She was leaving and she would never come back. She would never see her sister again, nor anyone she currently knew, apart from Jack. She wouldn't see the Admiral put to rest, and she'd be leaving the injured behind. Could she do that? Could she leave the people she knew, people who had become her friends, to suffer? In their weakened, injured state, they would become ill. Maybe it was best that she was leaving.

Walking alongside the pirate captain, she tried to ignore the stench of blood, the agonised moans of people all around her. Some tried to crawl over to her but only collasped. Nell caught sight of a young child crying over the body of his mother, and started to rush over to him only to have Jack stop her. His eyes were sad as he shook his head.

"Sorry, love, but we can't help him. I can't bring a child aboard a ship." He looked at his feet. "I'm sorry."

Nell nodded, closing her eyes as she thought back tears. It would be dangerous for her, but even more so for a child who probably wouldn't survive. She hated to leave him in the mist of so many injured and dead, but he doubted he'd move away from his mother's body; she knew what that grief was like.

Shaking herself, she ran after the retreating form of Jack and slowled her pace as they reached the dockyard. The planks of the docks were creaky and splattered with water and blood. Nell walked around them and stared up at the only intact ship. It looked almost the same as it had done almost a month prior, but not the sheets were a deep black, matching the timber. A black gangblank was reaching down to the docks and she followed Jack up the steep slope it made. It seemed to wobble a little under her and she was glad to reach the firm deck. Jack directed her to his cabin, holding the door open for her and showing her the bed.

"Ye take that. S'only proper for a woman to have a bed. I'll make a hammock." He told her roughly, helping her store her money in one of his drawers. He quickly nodded and disappeared into the darkness after telling her he was going to salvage her some clothes.

Nell sat on the bed, placing the duck-feather pillow next to her. The bed was soft, but the many pillows were thin. But they'd do; Jack could have her own pillow for saving her. She owed him so much and she had no idea how to repay him.

As she sat in her thoughts, Jack had quickly entered the room once more and closed the door with a kick of his foot. Under one arm were various articles of clothing, and under the other, a roll of fabric. She guess it was a hammock and she was right as she watched the man set it up on the nails already in the walls. When he was finished, she walked over and held out the pillow.

"Take it."

"Couldn't, love. It's ye'rs."

"I owe you my life, Jack. It's the least I can do. You've even given me your bed."

She watched as Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before taking it and placing it in the hammock. Turning away, she began to fold her new clothes neatly, and placed them in the same drawer as her other belongings. She nearly jumped with shock when something tapped her shoulder. Looking over it, she scowled playfully at Jack as he stared back. Then his hand moved to his frock coat's pocket and he pulled out a bar of soap.

"Thought ye might like this if ye have a bath." He told her, and lay it on the top of the drawers. Nell hugged him once more, getting a faster response than the first time and whispered into his chest:

"Thank you Jack. You don't need to do this but you do."

He mumbled something under his breath before walking her over to the bed.

"Ye should sleep, darlin'. I'll need ye up in the morning."

Nell stopped at the side of the bed, looking at it curiously before her blue eyes landed on Jack.

"You'll, er, have to turn around." She muttered, her cheeks burning as a dull pink coloured them. Jack pouted.

"Come on now, love. Do I have to?" He begged, his eyes wide with pleading. Nell sighed and her face moulded into one of seriousness after she nearly laughed at his facial expression, and rotated her wrist with her fingers, apart from her index finger, curled.

"Turn around, Jack."

"I've already seen yer womanly assessts in that dress love."

Nell glanced down to her bossom and raised her eyebrows. Unlike some of the women at Port Davies, her dress was very modest. It came quite high, covering her "womanly assessts", as he called them.

"Stop imagining, Jack. I'm not a needy prostitute," She told him, her voice spiked with slight anger and an order. "Turn around, before I have to make you."

"Persuade me, love."

"You may see something in the future if you turn around." She was not being serious, and she had no wish to show him herself, not matter how good friends they were.

Jack, however, seemed happy by her reply and complied, turning around with his hands clasped behind his back, studying the walls of his cabin, eluminated in the candlelight.

Nell quickly pulled her nightdress over to her and removed her maid's dress for the last time, covering herself up with the cotton material and slipping into the bed, propping herself up on the multiple cushions.

"You can turn back around now, Jack." She said into the candle-lit room. She saw Jack turn and sit on the edge of the bed, pulling off his boots. She closed her eyes as he took off his coat and his waistcoat, leaving him in a flimsy shirt and breeches. She didn't open her eyes until she heard the fabric russle as he lay in the hammock. It wasn't much longer until she heard his snores. Giggling to herself under her breath, Nell rolled over in the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin as she settled down to sleep.


	12. Chapter 11

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Eleven**

The sun was just above the horizon by the time Nell awoke. She lay on her side, her legs bent at the knees so she was in a fetal position, and the first thing that asaulted her was a smell of rum, spices and the sea. Her eyes shot open and became used to the dawn light. Once the light no longer hurt her eyes, she took in her surroundings for the first time, properly, since the night before. It was a rather large cabin, the deep brown almost black. The bed she was in was against the left wall, and she could spot the sleeping form of Jack in his hammock at the far side of the cabin. Inbetween them was the dark shape of a large table, clearly littered with maps. Jack's clothing was thrown around the immediate area and Nell shook her head at the mess. Good thing she was here; it was a wonder that he could find anything in this mess.

Sitting upright, Nell carefully stretched and yawned before quickly pulling on a pair of the breeches. She binded her breasts and pulled on a top just in time to feel a tap on her shoulder. She whirled around, a loud gasp pushing through her lips and her eyes widening in fright. When she noticed it was Jack she pressed her hands against his chest and pushed him lightly away, shaking her head.

"Don't you ever do that again, Jack Sparrow." She glared at him, eyes narrowing.

"Sorry dearie, but you seemed to be staring into space," He told her, waving to the ceiling as if the sky could be seen through the wood. "Anyways, I've worked out where ye can go while ye stay on me ship. Ben, the cook, could do with some help. He's no good a cooking, Nell. Ye could help him to stop poisonin' us."

Nell's glare grew more fierce and she slapped his arm hard before storming away, slamming the cabin door behind her. How dare he assign her to the galley just because she was a woman! But, then again, she supposed it wouldn't be quite right for her to work with the men on deck; they might take advantage of her. When she arrived on deck, she wanted to hit herself. She didn't know where the galley was, but she didn't want to go back in and ask Jack either; her pride wouldn't allow her to do that.

She looked around again, trying to take in the whole ship. The galley had to be somewhere... There was a door under the righthand flight of steps. Shuffling over carefully, Nell reached out a hand, glad for the shade the steps provided and grasped the cold metal, pulling the door open. Her guess had been right, for the smell of burning rushed into her nose and she pulled a face, walking inside. Through the foul-smelling smoke and the smell, she caught sight of bright ginger and walked over before stopping so she didn't trip over the various cooking equipment that surrounded the floor. The man looked up, took in her form, and nodded.

"Ye must be Nell, miss. The cap'n came in last nigh' before 'E went to 'is cabin. I 'ope 'E 'asn't said anythin' bad about me cooking."

"Just that he wishes for me to make it better, Mr..."

"Ben. Just call me Ben, miss. I'd rather ye didn't try to remember me last name. Tis a right mouthful."

Nell grinned and moved around the counter before directing her gaze to the small bottled and tubs of spices. She then looked at the pot that was currently cooking. The burnt smell was strongest from here.

"Ben, you'll have to get rid of all that," She told him, stirring around the ruined food with the wooden spoon that was there. "It can't be eaten."

Ben picked up the heavy pot and emptied the contents out of his small window before setting it back down.

"I was making a stew, miss. Can't say I'm good at it."

Nell let out a happy sound and pulled over the carcass of half a small calf. Most of the meat was still on the bones and all the organs removed. Picking up a large butchering knife, Nell began hacking away at the bones harshly, removing the lower legs, the upper leg and cutting the ribs apart.

"Fill the pot to quarter full with fresh water and boil it." She ordered, setting the meat to the side, covering it with a rag and rinsing her hands before glancing around and opening cupboards, letting out a small "Aha!" when she found some potatoes and carrots. Picking up an armfull of the carrots, she returned to the counter, finding a new chopping board and knife. She cut of the ends of the carrots and then quartered them, one by one, until they were done. By that time, Ben had placed the meat in the boiling water. Nell added the carrots and looked back at the cupboard.

"We'll need at least twenty potatoes, or ten large ones," She said, and Ben pulled out the ten largest one and placed them on the chopping board. She nodded her thanks and picked up the knife. "They should be peeled, then cut into eights; they'll reduce down a little as the stew cooks. This will thicken the water, mixed with the meat juices and bone marrow, which will produce a nice sauce. We'll add onions later if you have any, and a small, chopped and crushed clove of garlic. The bones should be removed just before serving. It shouldn't be hard, as the meat will be very tender."

Whiping her hands on another rag, she looked at the ceiling, thinking. There was breakfast to do, and quickly.

"What do you usually serve for breakfast?" She questioned, watching the sun out of the small window as a bell chimed. She had no idea what it meant, but Ben seemed to.

"It's around six-thirty in the morning. Breakfast is usually something simple, and served at eight. The men do a bit of work first, to get an appetite."

Nell nodded to this. Now she had to think of something...

"Do you have any fish?" She asked, her head cocking to the side and her hair falling in her face.

"One of the men might have caught something."

Nell disappeared out of the door, and there was indeed a man, rather old with grey-white hair and a round belly. He turned around at the sound of her footsteps and introduced himself.

"Joshamee Gibbs," He held out a hand, which she shook before looking over the rail. She was a bit wobbily, as she was not yet used to the rocking motion of the ship on the waves.

"I was wondering, Joshamee-"

He cut her off, shaking his head.

"Call me Gibbs, miss. It's a lot easier for everyone."

"Okay. I'm Nell, if you want to call me that. I was wondering, Gibbs, if you have any fish? I'm helping Ben in the galley, and wanted to serve up fish for breakfast."

"Aye. I do have some, Nell. Freshly caught and rather large."

The man ducked down and lifted what had to be at least a two-and-a-half foot long fish from the bucket. Holding it in both arms, he looked proud of his catch.

"T'was quite a fight to get this in off the line, and I'm fine for it as breakfast. Make a nice difference, it will."

Nell took the fish from him, nearly dropping it. It was quite a heavy fish but she managed to get to the galley door as crew members began to appear on deck, looking at her curiously. Fortunatey for her, Jack strode from his cabin, looked too and thro at the men and her before proceeding to explain why she was there. She didn't hear the words as she entered the galley once more.

This time, she payed more attention to the area. There were three tables with benches to sit at during the meal, and then there was the counter at the far side of the room, where Ben was stood, watching over the cooking stew. Stumbling over, she heaved the fish onto the side and slammed the lid down on the pot, shaking her head.

"It'll cook better with the lid down." She told him sternly before picking up a sharp knife.

"Gibbs had a fish. It should serve a good breakfast." She explained and drew the point of the knife along the underside of the fish, splitting the succulent flesh apart. Once this was done she put the knife down and picked up a bigger one, chopping off the head with a clean sweap. Pushing it away, she chopped off the end of the tail too, and left it with the head. She would take the small amount of meat from them later.

Turning to the main part of the carcass, she lifted one flap of flesh up.

"You hold that up, and I'll get the organs out. We'll throw them in the sea." Grimacing, she stuck her hand in and began pulling out the organs, gritting her teeth as they slipped between her fingers. When she finally had them out Nell spun the carcass around and spotted the spine.

"I trust you can debone the whole thing? Just look for anything that isn't flesh and pull it out."

Ben did as she said while she picked up a knife once more and pulled the head towards her. The eyes freaked her out a little, and she felt a shiver on her spine. Still, using the point of the knife, she removed the inside of the cheeks and the tongue; no one really ate them but they could be the best part of a fish. They were flavoursome and tender.

When this task was finished she washed her hands again and got out a smaller pot, filling that with a little water and placing the little bit of meat she had inside it. Ben moved over and placed the rest of the fish inside; he had chopped it up too. This made her task easier and the whole thing quicker.

Then she went about the cupboards again until she found a shrilved lemon. Cutting it neatly in half, she squeezed some of the juice over the fish before slicing the lemon halves into slices and laying them neatly over the cooking food. Luckily, Ben handed her a pepper grinder and she added some black pepper before placing the lid over that too.

"Fish doesn't take too long to cook." Nell said and sat down, exhausted. She must have fallen asleep, for the next thing she knew, Ben was shaking her awake.

"Crew needs feeding, Nell. Up ye get." He pulled her upwards and handed her a good dozen of pewter plates. "'Elp me serve up, and then ye can have some yerself."

The actual serving didn't take long and every man of the crew got a nice portion of fish. When Nell got her share, she looked around for a seat and found Jack saving one for her not far away. Sitting down in it gratefully, she servayed the crew. They all seemed particularly happy and Jack nudged her with his elbow.

"Told ye that ye'd do good, didn't I?" He asked, smirking.

"Alright, I admit you made a good decision." She grinned, and looked at his plate. It was clear. "You enjoyed it?"

"Best meal I've ever had, love." His arm snaked past her with a fork in hand and tried to steal some of her own food. With her mouth open in a shocked expression, she slapped it away and pulled her plate towards her.

"Mine."

"What did you expect, love? We're pirates, and we'll take anything; even food."

Nell laughed and rolled her eyes.

"It's still mine."

xxXXxx

That night, after finishing the stew (which she got many compliments for), Nell sat with her back resting against the main mast, looking up at the star-lit sky. She hadn't expected a pirate crew to be this nice to her, but she guessed she had been wrong.

Suddenly, she got a craving for hot chocolate. Hoping that there was some chocolate onboard, she stood and began walking over to the galley when an arm stopped her. She let her gaze drift along it until she came to Jack's face.

"Where ye going, love?" He asked, his head to the side.

"I'm seeing if you've got any chocolate. I fancy a hot chocolate."

"Aye, we have some. Ye'll have to add rum to mine, though."

Nell pushed him with her shoulder playfully but agreed. She quickly slipped under his arm and disappeared into the galley, finding the chocolate and melting it. While it was melting, she found a smaller door and opened it. Inside the room was a goat and three chickens. Grinning, Nell grabbed a bucket and stool and began to milk the goat. When she returned to the galley, the chocolate was melted. Adding the milk, she stirred it in and ran her finger over the small jars until she found cinnamon. Sprinkling the strong herb in, she stirred the mixture again before splitting it into two of the cleanest pewter mugs she found.

As she was leaving, she saw a half-full bottle of rum left on a table and poured some into one mug and continued on her way, pushing the door open with her side and moving over to Jack's side, where he was standing, leaning next to the main mast. Handing him his mug, she lifted her own to her lips and let out a happy sigh. It was wonderful. Her sigh was echoed by Jack's and she laughed.

"Like that too?"

"You, me dear, have to be the best cook we've had on the _Black Pearl_."

Nell didn't make a sound but gazed up at the sky.

"I wonder if they're up there..." She whispered subconciously.

"They? Who?" Jack asked, clearly confused.

"My... My parents. Before me and Katie went to Port Davies, we lived in Blackpool. Small port. My parents got ill and died when I was fourteen. We came to the Caribbean looking for work; that look the better part of a year before the Admiral employed us, when I was fifteen. That was the worst time of my life. We managed to get aboard a ship with slaves. It wasn't pretty."

Jack nodded, his face grim at the mention of slaves.

"Jack? Are you alright?"

"Fine, love, fine. But before I was a pirate captain, I worked for the EITC."

"The East India Trading Company?"

"The very same. They wanted me to transport a cargo of slaves. I refused and let them go free. I was branded as a pirate after that."

He pulled up his sleeve, and in the orange glow of the lamplight, she saw the raised, pale scar of a "P".


	13. Chapter 12

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Twelve**

Her neck ached and the muscles in her legs, arms and fingers felt cramped and stiff. Slowly, Nell opened her eyes to see the morning sky above her, blocked by the face of Gibbs. Once he noticed she was awake, he turned to Jack and began to rouse him while Nell tried to wake herself properly. Slowly, she lifted an arm to rub her eyes when said arm collasped onto her chest. She tried to move her fingers and found that she couldn't. Pushing herself into a sitting position as Jack began to awaken, she rubbed her right hand roughly on her arm, bringing back circulation and feeling. At least it had only been numb.

Once she felt she had use of her arm once more, she rubbed the back of her neck and stood ungracefully. Her legs felt wobbly and as she stepped forwards she found the floor racing upwards towards her until strong arms wrapped around her waist. Looking up, she found the familiar face of Jack, concern shining in his dark eyes. Laughing, Nell stood and held onto his upper arm.

"Jack Sparrow, saving a damsel in distress!" She exclaimed.

"There should be a 'captain' in there somewhere, darlin'," He reminded her as he looked up at the helm where Cotton and his parrot where. As Nell followed his gaze and watched, a little monkey, dressed in clothes, decended from one of the many ropes that kept the sails in place and sat on the desk, watching them. Cotton's parrot squarked something and Nell stiffled another laugh as Jack shooed her away.

"I'm off up to the helm. No doubt the crew will be looking forwards to breakfast after yesterday's meal." His hands were planted firmly on her shoulders as he steered her towards the galley, holding the door open for her. Nell rolled her eyes.

"Jack, stop acting like I'm a woman from up on high. I was a maid; I'm used to opening doors for myself."

"Aye, that may be, but yer a woman. Be grateful that someone is looking out for you, love. I doubt any of the crew would help ye."

"Fine, but I can still do things by my self." She told him and disappeared through the door, leaving Jack to go to the helm.

She slowly walked around the tables, shaking her head at the mess. She had cleaned up last night, so someone - probably Ben - had eaten something and left a mess.

Moving around the counter, her toes knocked into someone. There, by her feet, was Ben. He was unconcious and a bottle of rum - empty now - was grasped lightly in his fingers. Sighing heavily, she bent down and began to pull the Irishman over to one of the benches, proping him up against it. Then she returned to the counter, thinking of what she could serve. Pulling open cupboards, she found some shrivled mushrooms and, to her delight, relatively fresh bacon. There were chickens too, hens most likely, and they should have layed some eggs. She was right, for under the hens were around five eggs each. Lifting each one up to the light, she made sure none had chicks inside and placed them on the counter in a small bowl so they would't roll of the side and crack on the floor.

Grabbing various pots and pans, Nell began to cook, placing the bacon in a pot over the small stove and turning the bacon over now and then. While that was cooking, she cracked all the eggs, whisked them a little and placed them in a pan, scrambling them with ease. Nell then cut up the mushrooms and put them in another pan after turning the bacon. Before long, the crew had started to file in, pointing out Ben where he was still against a bench. When she noticed they had started to arrive, she began to get the pewter plates out and serving, making sure each person had a nice amount to get him through the day. And if they ever wanted something more, all they had to do was come in and ask.

After serving a stout man and his friend with one eye, Nell looked up to see Jack. He pointed to Ben.

"Got drunk, did he?"

"Looked like it. I moved him over there so I wouldn't trip over him while cooking. I'll save him some breakfast, but it'll probably be cold by the time he comes around." She spooned some egg onto his plate, followed by a spoonful of mushrooms. Jack grimaced.

"Don't like mushrooms, love."

"I think my mushroom will be better than Ben's, Jack. Eat them up like a good boy." She teased and gave him some bacon.

"Can't I swap them for some more bacon?"

"Sorry Jack, no. You're a big boy now, aren't you? The mushroom will help to keep you strong."

Jack sighed but nodded, carrying his plate away. Nell smiled and continued to serve, finally getting some food for herself. Once again, Jack had saved her a place, and she sat down in it.

"Do you like your mushrooms then, Jack?" They had all disappeared from his plate.

"I only ate them because I had to."

"Just tell me whether you liked them or not."

"Fine, love. They were alright. I told ye, I don't like mushrooms."

"But you still ate them," Nell pointed out, and began on her own meal. "Now, be a good boy and eat the rest of your breakfast. If you eat it all, you can have some more bacon."

Jack's eyes lit up at that and he began shovling food into his mouth, barely chewing before he swallowed.

"I'll have none of that, Mr. Sparrow. Eat it slowly or you'll get stomach ache."

Jack began to eat slower, chewing his food properly before he swallowed and started on another mouthful.

Happy that he was eating properly - she didn't want to have to deal with a sick Jack later on - Nell went back to her own meal, eating it properly. Some of the crew looked at her, watching the motions and other, mainly the younger ones, began to copy her. She shook her head and told them to eat as Jack stood and all but ran over to the counter, grabbing a rasher of bacon and eating it where he stood.


	14. Chapter 13

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Thirteen**

Swords clashed and the sound of metal on metal rang through the room. The table and chairs had been pushed to the side under Jack's hammock, and every other piece of furniture that could be moved was stacked against the walls while Jack circled Nell, sword raised.

"Right. I go here," His sword swung down and Nell raised her own, only just blocking the sharp blade. The force sent shock waves up her arm. Panting, Nell went to swing at Jack, but her heavy sword almost sent her sprawling onto the ground.

"Aye," Jack said, holding out a hand. "Ye need to work on yer attack. However, I'm guess that sword it a bit too heavy for ye. Have this one." He handed her a well balanced, lighter sword that was also shorter. As she held it, she certainly felt the difference, and when she tried to attack Jack, it didn't make her stumble. But she still wasn't that good with the weapon.

"Remind me again why I have to do this?"

"Yer on a pirate ship, love. We could get attacked at any point and ye need to know how to defend yerself," He raised his sword once more. "Now, again."

They continued to spar, Jack alternating between attacking her and defending himself against her shallow attacks.

"Yer getting better love. That lighter sword has helped ye. Ye can keep it. I'll get you a belt and a scabbard so ye can keep it on ye. Now, attack me again. Show no mercy, love!"

Nell put all her power behind her attacks, but Jack blocked every single one. This feirce dance went on and on as the sun reached its highest point and then began to decend. Nell's stomach grumbled; she hadn't had any breakfast either, as Jack had wanted to get started straight away.

After being beaten multiple times, the majority of which she had ended up on the floor, either with her sword out of hand or Jack's boot on her stomach, she managed to get a soft blow on Jack's shoulder. It was only a small scratch but she began to worry.

"Oh Jack, I'm sorry!"

He raised his sword.

"Don't worry, love. It's only a scratch. If ye're injured in battle, ye need to continue on. Ye need to continue fighting. Ye could die if ye don't."

And they began again, moving around the room at quite a pace. The crew had long since gotten used to the loud sound of the fight and had stopped pushing their heads through the door to see how she was doing against their formidable captain.

Somehow, Nell had ended up on the table and Jack jumped up to join her as they exchanged blows. She could feel the edge of the table beneath her heels and jumped down. This was a mistake, as she was at a disadvantage. Jack had the upper hand and she had to raised her sword at quite a height to block him. This proceeded to wear her out as she moved away from the table. If she got too far away, Jack would have to jump down too.

He did so and persuded his attack until she ducked and pushed through his legs. Before he realised, she was behind him. Suddenly, the monkey appeared out of nowhere and took Jack's hat. Jack exclaimed something and, while he was distracted, she pushed him to the floor. As he rolled over, she placed the tip of her sword by his neck, near his jaw. She saw his Adam's Apple bob as he gulped and laughed. She'd beaten him!

Jack glared angrily at the monkey, jaw set.

"I hate that monkey."

"I think he's cute. What's his name?"

"Barbossa named him Jack to spite me."

The monkey jumped up onto Nell's shoulder and she took the hat off him, placing it on her own head.

"Thank you, Jack."

Jack (the man, not the monkey) stood and placed his sword flat on the table, taking Nell's out of her hands and placing it next to it.

"That was great love. Very pirate. Ye saw an opening and ye took it," He praised her, grinning roguishly. "In a battle, ye'll have to push harder: I let ye win." He looked out of the very large window at the back of the cabin; the sun was setting. He turned around to look at Nell and saw her eyes drooping. Carefully, he began to lead her to the bed and sat her down on it and took his hat back.

"Ye stay here, love. I'll put everything back."

As he turned away towards the table, Nell slumped back on the bed and fell asleep, troughroughly exhausted from the day. Even the sounds of the table and other, various pieces of furniture being scraped carefully across the floor didn't wake her.


	15. Chapter 14

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Fourteen**

It had been around a month, four weeks, since Nell left the greviously injured Port Davies. Since then, Nell had become a valued member of the crew, and instead of her helping Ben, like she had been told to do, she was teaching him, so that when she left Ben's cooking wouldn't be all that bad. Nell was, in fact, planning to leave at the next respectable port, if she could. Yes, she liked life on the ship, and it was much better than her maid's duties on land, and she wanted to stay, but she wasn't sure if she was liked by the whole crew. She was a woman, and so attracted wanton men. There was a particular man, Jason, who always seemed to be close to her, trying to gain her attention. Many a time, she had snapped at him and stalked away. Once she had even slapped him across the face.

That was in the past. Now, Jack had taught her how to handle a sword and a pistol. She even carried them around with her. Nell was more prepared than her first days aboard the ship, and she was confident that, should anything happen, she would be able to defend herself until help arrived. Jack knew of Jason and was keeping an eye on him, but Nell was ready if he did try something.

Right now, with the sun directly overhead and bearing down feircly upon the _Pearl_ and her crew, Nell was seated near the bow. Jack had refused to let her join in with the crew; he said it was a man's work, and would only stress her out. So, she had left Ben trying to cook another stew after giving him instructions, and was watching the sea. As she gazed at it, there was a small spray below her and she looked at it, eyebrows knitted together as she tried to figure it out. Then, leaping out of the waves, was a dolphin. It was joined by the rest of the pod, and their leaping and acrobatics lightened Nell's heart and she smiled widely. Sometimes, very rarely, they had got dolphins following the fishing boats at Port Davies, and Nell had only seen them once, before she came to the Caribbean and before her parents died. She had been around nine or ten years old then.

A sound roused her and she turned around, blinking rapidly. Jack was waving her arm comically at her.

"Yes?" She asked politely, standing up.

"We haven't practiced today, love. However, I think ye'd benfit from another opponent; try Regetti." Nell followed his pointed finger to the slim, lanky, one-eyed pirate known as Regetti. He was a young fellow, and always seemed to be around Pintel. Jack waved him over and the lad pulled his black patch back over his eye before making his way over.

"Cap'n?"

"Nell here needs to practice with someone other than me. You'll be her opponent. Try not to be too friendly, but don't give her any injuries." He paused, looking at the rigging. "Try fighting anywhere possible but not too dangerous."

Regetti nodded and drew his sword, smirking mischiveously.

"Come on, poppet!"

Nell was shocked by the sudden start but drew her sword from the scabbard and began circling, her blue eyes narrowed with determination as she looked for somewhere to strike. She was too slow in deciding, for the sword came whistling towards her side and she only just blocked it before launching her own attack. That was blocked and she looked wildly around before shooting past Jack as the sword soared towards her. This caused her to duck into a roll and stand as soon as she could, leaping up onto the rail with her spare hand - her left - grasping the rough rope of the rigging. From there she had the advantage and blocked what blows she could as she climbed higher, towards the black sails. Regetti followed her on the inside of the rigging until they reached the mast. Nell nearly screamed; it was higher than she thought it would be. Still, she had a fight to win.

Regetti had now climbed onto the mast, and Nell followed, keeping on foot right in front of the other and one arm out for balance. The swords clashed and she could feel the eyes of the crew on them as she tried to focus. Eventually, she had Regetti pinned against the mast, his sword falling to the deck and her own pointed at his neck. She slowly removed it, grinning.

"Well done, poppet." Regetti told her before moving to the rigging and scaling down it, leaving Nell to put her sword back in it's scabbard and following. When her feet where finally planted on the deck, Gibbs stepped forwards, Jack beside him.

"Now ye can try against Mr. Gibbs. I was supprised by how fast ye beat Regetti, but Gibbs is more of a challenge. Off ye go." He stepped back once more, leaving her alone with Gibbs in a large circle formed by the crew. They moved around it, keeping their eyes on each over. Then, Nell rushed forwards, her sword swinging forwards to Gibb's chest. He blocked it powerfully and made a strange movement, so she nearly lost her sword. Only just hanging on, she pushed forwards, sword blocked at every movement. Then she was being pushed back, and fell. Her foot caught Gibb's leg and he fell forwards, using his arms to hold himself above her. Nell smirked when she saw Jack (the monkey) leap down from the rigging and clamp his hands over Gibb's eyes. Taking the opportunity, she raised her knee and collided it with Gibb's groin, sending him rolling off her. He lay there, heaving for breath, before he stood once more. Then he continued his assualt until her sword flew from her hands and she was trapped against the rail.

As she stood there, Gibb's eyes grew wide and his jaws parted.

"Cap'n!" He called, urgency in his tone. Jack Sparrow ran over and clenched his jaw, lips peeling back. Jack the monkey sat on Nell's shoulder and he made the same facial expression, letting out a little growl.

"Who is it, Jack?" She asked, running her fingers through Jack's fur to calm him.

"It's Angelica Teach, daughter of the infamous Blackbeard and currently very angry with me."

"Why?"

"I tricked her father when they were both dyin' at the Fountain of Youth. There was a victim needed, ye see, and her father took the chalice with what I told him contained the mermaid's tear. It didn't and Angelica took the other one." He sighed. "Because her father died and she recieve all the years of life he possessed, she tried to kill me when I marroon her on a well-traveled trade route. Can't trust her, but my honest streak shone through. Unfortunately."

Gibbs butted in. "And now she's come for her revenge."


	16. Chapter 15

**Full Summary:** When Jack has no choice but to pose as a Navy officer in order to get his precious _Black Pearl_ fixed from a sea battle against another crew of pirates, he ends up finding help in one of the most unlikely of places.

**Chapter Fifteen**

Jack's head shot around and he started to push her to the steps that lead to under the main deck, where the crew slept.

"Get down below, Nell. Go to the brig and stay there. Ye'll be safe there."

Nell pouted unhappily, wanting to shake her head. But she didn't. She didn't want to die. But what if Jack did?

"What about you?"

"I have to stay on deck. I need to order the crew and fight. I'm not putting ye under that... pressure. Battle is dangerous, and Angelica even more so. She'd come after ye if she knew ye were here." He pushed her again and whipped around, running back up the steps. She heard the sound of swords being unsheathed, and Jack's gruff voice ordering the crew to ready the cannons before she raised a hand to Jack the monkey. He nibbled lightly on the tip of her middle finger, and she found it comforted her.

Sucking in a steadying breath, she began to walk to the brig. Once there, she sat on the floor, back against the wall as Jack came to sit on her lap. There, he curled into a loose ball like a cat would do as she scratched behind one ear. This seemed to comfort the monkey and it worked in turn for her, keeping her calm as she awaited the battle.

It seemed to be a long time before she heard the cannons being fired. Luckily for her, none came towards the brig. Jack the monkey had clambered onto her head and was playing with a strand on her hair, which gladly distracted her. She didn't want to think of the danger Gibbs, Ben, or Pintel and Regetti were going through. Especially Jack, with Angelica going after him. Would he be okay? Anger, grief and rage could all combine to make a powerful opponent in battle, and it would also make them fearless. No doubt Angelica Teach would have all there emotions running through her veins as she mounted an attack to try and avenge her deceased father. Nell knew that would be what she would feel like if something like that had happened to her.

It seemed even longer until the sounds died down. That had to mean that the battle was over, right? Standing, she let Jack nibble on her finger as she moved around the ship until she reached the steps. There, she could hear the sound of swords clashing and the occaisonal shot of a pistol. She couldn't stay here. She had to help. Jack could be in danger, or he could be dead. She had to make sure, no matter what. Adrenaline pushed through her blood, setting her alight and gifting her energy for the battle she was about to join and risk her life in.

Rushing out, she was glad not to be wearing a dress as she joined the battle, stopping in shock as she watched Jack. He was busy fighting one man while another stalked up behind him, a pistol pointed at his head. Drawing her own pistol, she cocked it, took aim, and shot at the pirate's hand. He yelped, the sound of the pistol rung through the air and Jack paused, looking at her. He yelled something angrily, but had to go back to his own fight. The man Nell had shot ran towards her and their swords connected, his blood splattering on the deck, shining bright scarlet like rubies in the sun.

They moved around the ship, fighting strongly. Well, Nell was fighting strong; she was fresh into the battle while her opponent was not and also had a strong injury to his hand. However, he was a seasoned pirate and figher, which made him strong and hard to beat. At one point, a second man joined the fight against her. He too, like his crewmate, wasn't fresh to the battle and bore many wounds from fights against the crew of the Black Pearl. His face was marred with scars but also with fresh bruises and cuts. Every now and again he had to stop and wipe blood from his eyes. Nell hit the first man with the blunt end of her sword and, while they were both distracted (by the hit and by blood in the eyes), she let out a strong kick and her foot hit the man's groin. This was a much harder kick that the one she gave Gibbs, and he fell to the floor, moaning loudly in his pain.

The other man had since recovered and was slicing his sword through the air towards her. She ducked down out of the way, swiping her own around in a semi-circle, slicing through his legs. As he too dropped to the floor, she stood and moved away so they could neither of them could attack her once more.

Yells and the sounds of battle echoed in her ear, joined by the sound of the sea and her own heartbeat. A louder yell, gruff and strong, was clearer to her, and she turned around to see a pistol being aimed at her. Before she could react, Jack was flying before her as the pistol was shot. A pain to the back of her head and the sound of glass smashing, mingled with the sound of pain, Jack the monkey's enraged yowling and Jack's voice to her left, was the last thing she heard as she fell to the deck, blackness swamping over her as her eyes closed.


End file.
